Honestly, as an American, I believe in freedom of pretty much everything, including the rights to bear arms.
I’ve read this blog: http://greenat1something.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/guns-dont-kill-people-ammunition-concealed-handguns-military-weapons-do/#comment-288, and though I can agree on some of it, I can’t agree with all of it.
Growing up in the US, we’re taught about the Revolutionary War, the 100 Day war, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf war, and the latest “War against terror.”
I was in the Persian Gulf war and I was born at the end of the Vietnam War. My grandfather was in WWII and was a gunner in the B-17′s when he was shot down over France, his father was in WWI, my dad was in Vietnam, my Great, great, great, great, great, great, etc… grandfather was James McHenry. Yeah, THE James McHenry who had a fort named after him in Baltimore, Maryland, the same Fort McHenry that Francis Scott Keys was at while he was a prisoner aboard a ship when he wrote the poem “The Star Spangled Banner.”
I’ve fired a lot of guns, rifles, machine guns, etc, both as a child and as an adult in America. I had access to more weapons of “mass murder” than most people my age. Never once did I consider using them to go and wipe out my school mates. Why? ‘Cause it’s wrong!
If we look back from now to Columbine in the US, or from now to Port Arthur in Australia, we have to look at three things.
1. The persons access to weapons.
2. The persons mental state at the time of the killing.
3. The persons mental state leading up to the killing.
I believe that if you look back at all the mass killings in the US, Australia, and the rest of the world, the first issue doesn’t matter. It’s the last two that do.
I’m going to tell a story I’ve never typed/written about before. I’ve told people, but never has this been written about.
I joined the US Army in 1992, and began Basic Training on 27 October 1992. We had 3 Drill Sergeants, two of which I can vaguely remember. However, there is one that stands out, why? Because he told us of a plan to mass murder all the recruits currently training, and get away with it (at least that was his words). Simple, early morning chow, once all the recruit were in eating breakfast, bolt the doors with chains and go crazy with a M16. Once done, play in the blood when the Military and civilian police arrive, they’ll cart him off to the loony bin.
Gun’s don’t kill people. They never have. People kill people.
Until the US comes up with a plan to assist it’s citizens that suffer from mental disorders, it won’t matter what gun laws are put into place, there will be more of what’s happened at New Town and Columbine, and elsewhere.
I truly believe that there is a mental disorder issue that connects all the shootings within the US, whether it’s depression, steroid rage, or a form of another disorder. The US needs to address this.
Remember, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” And I truly believe that.
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